Right to Health Care

90%

Of patients supported by RTHC experienced improved outcomes upon discharge from referral hospitals in the past 3 years.

1,063

Patients supported by RTHC successfully received general surgery operation.

619

Patients supported by RTHC received advanced obstetrics or gynaecological care.

We believe everyone has a right to health care. In developing countries, some barriers hinder patients from accessing the care they need and health outcomes suffer as a result. We work to break those barriers and minimize any out-of-pocket health expenditures to protect families from impoverishment by seeking healthcare.

— Theoneste Nkurunziza, Right to Health Care Program Manager

Rwandans in need of high level health services such as surgery often face many barriers to accessing that care. More than 80 percent of Rwandans live in rural areas, however most medical specialists including surgeons are located at referral hospitals in the capital city. Seeking care far from home brings with it expenses such as food, accommodations, and transportation. Even though Rwanda’s community based health insurance covers 90% of medical bills, these collateral care expenses can be prohibitive for many.

We believe everyone, regardless of their location or financial situation, deserves the right to access the health care they need. Our Right to Health Care program strives to ensure that all patients have access to quality health services at the tertiary level and beyond.

Addressing barriers to healthcare

Social workers at the district hospitals evaluate patients who have been referred to higher level hospitals in order to assess their needs. In emergency cases, the evaluation is skipped and the patient is automatically eligible for support. Based on that assessment, our team may do any or all of the following:

Provide transportation

Pay medical fees and co-pay

Provide food

Provide infant care supplies

Accompanying patients

In addition to being costly, seeking higher level care can be difficult if you are unfamiliar with navigating the the complex health system. The approach of our program is based upon accompaniment. We join our patients on their journey to health and do whatever it takes to make sure they get well. Depending on the needs of the patient our team may do any or all of the following:

Our Impact

We have developed strong relationships with high level care facilities, enabling us to better advocate for our patients and access their clinical information to better inform decisions. In the eight years we have been implementing this program, we have relieved the collateral expenses and complications of health care logistics for over 4,000 patients requiring hospitalization and more than 10,000 outpatients. We openly accept challenge; we have supported 15 patients’ travel internationally to receive the care they needed when the services could not be found in country. By tackling head-on the barriers to accessing high level care, we are working to end the poverty-illness cycle.

We have presented our work at two international conferences and continue to work with the Rwandan government and other partners to spread the model of our Right to Health Care program to all of those who need it.